All is now set for the African Sports Tourism Week, a four-day, 5-activity gathering of eggheads in the sports and tourism sectors. Organised in partnership with Supersports, Afrotourism, African Traveler Quaterly and The Afritraveller. The event also enjoys technical partnership with African League of Sports Tourism Stakeholders, Nigeria Travel Week and managed by Heventin Corporate Event Managers.

The event will provide platform for stakeholders to engage and cross-fertilize ideas towards social-economic growth for Africa and her nations, taking advantage of opportunities provided by sporting events, monuments and collections through active sports tourism, event sports tourism and nostalgia sports tourism. Like a nation’s cup, it is hosted by different African nations – year after year.

Speaking on the rationale behind the event, Deji Ajomale-McWord, The CEO, African Sports Tourism Week said, “Nigeria ’99 was the biggest sporting event Nigeria ever had opportunity to host and it was next to a wasted chance, because organising committee saw only sporting activity and not a prime slot to lure the world into wanderlusting, after a Nigeria they could experience from every side that there is to her people and natural gems.”

On the project, Deji revealed that the organisers were never deliberate about having the summit on May 25, which is set aside to celebrate everything and everyone African, globally.

“We had chosen the date before we realized it’s the African Day; I guess that’s the spirit leading the way. And we are glad to have BBC Africa joining SuperSports and other media from both sports and tourism landscapes, in covering the event,” he said.

For FIFA World Cup, The Masters, Rugby World 7Series, The Olympics, Super Bowl or Roland Garos to hold, there must be a convergence of the sporting talents, their managers, coaches, doctors, therapists, officials and ultimately their fans. For convergence to happen, travel and services/products in its value chain must be part of the equation. This is proof that tourism is sport.

“But how well have these industries been working together, especially in Africa? This is why we have decided to initiate a platform for the fellowship of the two industries, in Africa,” he said.

The host city for the 2018 edition is Lagos, while the event will open on May 23 through May 26, at different venues.

The panel of discussants at the summit will be doing an evaluation, in retrospect, of the biggest international sporting events that have held on the continent – including Nigeria ’99 and South Africa 2010 – for future betterment. They will also be dissecting payment infrastructure deficit and how it limits African nations from hosting the world, as much as they ought to.